Television distribution networks are offering more and more services such as data, messaging and telephony. Similarly, telephony networks offer television services. It is desirable to provide integration between the services of both telephony and television. Examples of services that are enabled by having such integration are caller identification (Caller ID, or CID) on television, utilizing a television for call management of telephone calls, voicemail, and the like. These services benefit from the large display format offered by a television screen. Delivery of multiple services on a single network is commonly accomplished by utilizing different interface equipment between the distribution network and the different types of service. For example, in a television distribution network television services require a converter or receiver commonly referred to as a Set-Top Box (STB). Telephony service in such network are most often accomplished by a Media Terminal Adapter (MTA) which is commonly embedded within a cable modem, however other equipment may also be used such as computers or other telephony to cable interface equipment. Similarly, a telephony network that supplies television services accomplishes this task by utilizing telephones and separate interface devices for video and/or data. Some distribution networks may provide a variety of services over a converged, often IP-based, network where separation of services occurs at a central home gateway device.
Yet another example of the convergence between different services is the case of separate networks that are cross linked. Thus for example a cellular network provider may link services with a television provider for example in order to display voice message arrival or in some cases caller ID services using a television screen.
For clarity, the present invention will be described in terms of a television distribution network, but those skilled in the art will recognize the applicability of the present invention to telephony networks, as both are used as a television distribution networks with the main distinction being their ‘traditional’ role prior to integrating other services. Therefore the invention should be construed as extending to any distribution network that is adapted to carry television and telephony signals, as well as to a plurality of networks, where associations of television and different communication devices and/or interfaces is desired.
As this application will utilize a cable television network example for clarity, the term set-top box (STB for short) will be used hereinafter to denote any addressable interface between a television or video capable network and a television or a video display device. Thus for example the set-top box may be a cellular device, wireless device, satellite enabled device, and the like, coupled to, or embedded within, a device capable of displaying video signals. The term MTA will be used hereinafter to denote any addressable interface between a network that is adapted to carry telephony signals and a telephony device. An MTA may be embedded in other devices such as a cable modem, and in some cases even within the telephony device, for example within an IP enabled telephone, cellular telephones, or PBX (Private Branch exchange). The telephony network, the data network, and the television network may be the same network, or different networks each combining one or more of the services. Those networks extend to the like of cable, wireless, telephony network, cellular network, and the like. Telephony devices may be individual telephones, cellular telephones, cable modems, satellite phones, IP telephones, PBX systems, and the like.
Each set-top box and an MTA is individually addressable. Each user may have one or more set-top boxes that need to be associated with a corresponding user MTA. Network operators oftentimes meet difficulties in associating the different interfaces associated with individual users. Such association is done either manually or by programming that oftentimes needs to interface two separate software systems, at significant programming effort. If one of the systems changes, the programming needs to change as well, with additional expenses and with the risk of interrupted service. Even for networks utilizing a central home gateway devices, it is desired to identify the addresses of various end-user interfaces and to be able to associate between different devices, as these devices may be replaced due to failure or may be purchased individually by the end user. This information is not always readily available to the service providers. The present invention is directed to overcoming those difficulties.